


Against the Current

by MianMimi



Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor - Fandom
Genre: Canon Divergence, Does a thousand years count as slow burn?, F/M, Rare Pairings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-19
Updated: 2017-06-19
Packaged: 2018-11-15 23:22:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,196
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11241402
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MianMimi/pseuds/MianMimi
Summary: Heimdall's daily routine is interrupted by an unwelcomed guest. First impressions are hard to forget, and after this encounter both strangers may not even want to. TAO/Heimdall





	Against the Current

**Author's Note:**

  * For [](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts).



A/N: Severe liberties taken with every possible thing. Blame this on Banbiv, who started me on this ship. Now I adore it to an unhealthy degree ^^ This ficlet is connected to “Sick Days.”

Experiencing the universe from a distance--That was the peaceful, lonely reality that accompanied the gatekeeper every day of his seemingly infinite life. 

The view from his observatory was one of exemplary beauty. Anyone who had the privilege of exploring it said so. Every which way one looked there was some galaxy to marvel at, some constellation to admire, some bursting star to gasp and aww at. 

Heimdall envied their shortsightedness. 

For all the spark and spectacle of the cosmos, a current of ugliness swarmed underneath. Every second countless lives flickered in and out of existence, like specks of shiny dust along the vast darkness. The endless, constant cycle of birth and death became the only thing he truly expected. War, suffering, and unfilled desire plagued every creature with a heart that could feel and a mind that could think. This was his routine view, and it was rare for him to expect anything else to interrupt it. 

Which is why he was startled when a circle of fire cracked and flared within his beloved, lonely, sanctuary. 

Over the years a few dared to pass the gate uninvited only to be promptly cut down. Heimdall had one job, so to speak, and he did it exceedingly well. In the brief second the portal opened he wondered what could possibly charge out of it. It was much too small for a frost giant or a mindless one, perhaps it was Chitauri, or even Kree? 

Before he could make up his mind a hooded figure stumbled out and the fiery ring vanished with a sizzling snap.

The figure was much, much smaller than any Kree he’d seen. And the body, though lithe and frail, wasn’t misshapen or broken. The odd, little intruder stood to its full height, which did nothing at all to intimidate Heimdall. There was a sharp breath, then a small pale hand pulled back the dark green hood. The motion revealed a fair, freckled face. A thick cascade of deep auburn hair spilled past her slender shoulders.

Definitely not Kree, or Chitauri, or frost giant.  
This thing was Midgardian, female, and weaponless.

“Praise the Vishanti,” The stranger sighed in relief. Her slender hands pat down her arms and stomach, and brushed against her legs as if to check that everything was where it should be.  
She looked up, eyes wide and bright at the sight of a rather irritated gatekeeper towering over her. There was flicker of awe in her gaze, then it was gone, replaced by an unnerving level of amusement.

“Oh...Hello.” 

The greeting was light, polite, full of the pleasantries one would expect from a welcomed guest. All of which she certainly was not.

This was the point where Heimdall should have thrown her back to her home planet or killed her. He did neither. 

“What is your intent? How did you enter here uninvited?” His eyebrow raised in curiosity at her strange garments, “Who or what are you?”

“I’m a sorceress.” She gestured to her long, flowing, amber and emerald robes, as if her clothing would explain things, “I’ve come as a friend of Asgard, dear gatekeeper. You need not fear me.”

The corner of Heimdall's lips twitched. Of course. Leave it to a Midgardian with basic, rudimentary magic to speak so highly of herself while disregarding their laws.

“I have nothing to fear from you or your primitive Midgardian magic.”

That seemed to catch her attention, though not in the way Heimdall expected. 

“Ohhh is that so? And here I was, worried that our archaic spell for intergalactic travel would fail me and I would be torn asunder in the cosmos,” She covered her laughter with a slender hand. “But here I am! Now if you excuse me, may you kindly---”

She flicked a hand in the air as if to brush something aside. Distance grew between them suddenly. Heimdall's steady stance wobbled, and he looked down to see the floor stretching, putting a substantial distance between them.

“Perfect! Just like that,” She clasped her hands together and bowed to him, “Thank you!”

His amber eyes flared, both in anger and fascination. In that brief distraction, she attempted to dash past him. 

“You cannot proceed.” 

“Why ever not?”

“It is forbidden to enter this kingdom without permission from our king!” 

“Even if I come as an ally?” She sighed, crossing her arms as if she was offended. “ I only wish to warn your king of a great threat eyeing his realm.”

“A threat that isn't known to me is not a threat at all.”

“Is that so? You seem rather surprised to see me here, given your aggravation. But that can’t be, I thought the great gatekeeper sees and hears all. Unless of course, something has dulled his senses.”

The slight insult hurt once he realized she was right. He didn’t foresee her arrival. She smirked. 

“Your doubt is written all over your face. Not even your impressive helmet can hide it. Rather strange, isn’t it? That my primitive Midgardian magic has detected something even a god could not.”

“It would be wise to curb your arrogance, sorceress. This is not your realm. I cannot allow you to proceed alone.”

He stood before her, an immense wall of muscle and armor waiting to crush her if need be. Yet as she stepped forward he only stepped back rather than stand his ground. She appeared surprised at his avoidance. So of course, she tested him again. And yet again he stepped back rather than have her bump into him. It was an awkward dance for him that seemed to amuse her more the further it went. Til at last he finally kept her in place, his massive hands over her tiny shoulders.

Her eyes narrowed briefly, her thin lips pulling down at the corners. It was an unfamiliar look, one rarely given to him. In truth, Heimdall couldn’t recall the last time anyone regarded him with annoyance. 

“Then what is the fastest way to gain attendance with your king?”

“As a prisoner.” He answered, hoping she would finally be deterred. 

The sorceress bit her bottom lip lightly, weighing the option in her mind.

“Very well.” She extended her hands out from the long sleeves of her robes, wrists flat so he could bind them conveniently, “If you can hurry please. This matter is quite important."

The cuffs were on her wrists in a second. He was alarmingly gentle despite his obvious disdain. His large, muscular hands appeared more gargantuan compared to her slender, tiny ones. The cuffs were comically loose at first, then they adjusted to fit tightly against her skin, binding her wrists together.

“One motion that indicates you mean this world harm and I shall throw you off the rainbow bridge myself.”

“You’re rather talented at threats. That one sounded quite fun,” The sorceress returned his stern frown with a raise of a fair eyebrow and a small, mischievous smile. “Have you got anymore?”

“You are dangerously foolish,” Heimdall warned. 

“Oh I’m not foolish, as flighty as I may appear.” She glanced down at her feet and stomped the floor with the tip of her toe. The ground shifted smoothly to reverse the previous warp she created. 

“And as for dangerous...perhaps we shall see.” 

She looked up at Heimdall, then nodded towards the royal palace. She tapped her feet lightly, a universal sign of impatience, as if she was the one being inconvenienced by him.

He never wanted to leave his post so eagerly in a long, long time. 

________________________________________________

 

She was a peculiar human, even for a sorcerer. If the shackles on her wrists weren’t enough, her billowing auburn hair and Terran robes certainly made her stick out from the crowd. Her hair was messy, coming undone easily from the braid they were once held by. Strands of the thick waves framed her porcelain face. It reminded Heimall of blood on snow.

Although she was clearly a prisoner she certainly didn’t act like one.She would trot a bit further ahead of Heimdall to study some exotic flower that caught her attention, or a piece of weaponry bearing runes she recognized. 

She asked many questions, none of which he answered. Yet she smiled just the same, taking no offense to his cold silence. She seemed at ease yet fascinated at the same time, hungry for knowledge yet also content with what she already knew. 

It baffled Heimdall to find that he could not yet label her as a friend, foe, or some poor, lost, delusional soul that had somehow stumbled through their gate. 

“Your realm truly is a beautiful place,” The sorceress said, wiggling her fingers to wave at a group of children who giggled back at her. “Full of beautiful people.”

“Thank you,” The words slipped out without him thinking.

“Yes, I suppose that includes you too.”She turned to him with a shrug and a smile. Her fair eyes looked so crystalline in the bright Asgardian day. They appeared ethereal, and for a moment Heimdall wondered if there was more than just Midgardian blood flowing through her.

“Quite the impressive relic,” She looked at him up and down, then skipped lightly ahead, eager to reach the palace.

“Pardon?” Heimdall found himself stepping quickly to match her place. Of all the prisoners he ever took before the king, she was the most enthusiastic. 

“Oh hush, I meant your sword not you.” She shook her head at him, “I didn't know Asgardians were so sensitive over their age as Midgardians are.”

“I’m not ashamed of it,” Heimdall replied. “Life should be celebrated, along with the wisdom that accompanies it.”

“Spoken like a true old man.” She laughed, “You remind me of the elders in my home.”

“Would that be good thing?”

“A very good thing,” the sorceress replied. “Though I must admit your company is a bit more pleasant than theirs.”

Heimdall didn’t know what to make of that, seeing as she was technically his prisoner. She was such a strange creature, childlike one second then ladylike the next. And somewhere in between those moments she had an air of ageless strength he couldn't quite explain. 

When they reached the palace the sorceress gasped, her bright eyes widening at the sheer scale of the structure before her. Heimdall enjoyed this part, where foreigners had their first true experience entering the palace walls.

“Breathtaking,” She looked up at the ceiling to marvel at the intricate patterns fastened on the gold. “Every description about this place pales to seeing its true beauty.”

“You are a terrible prisoner,” Heimdall observed. “This could very well be your last day of freedom.”

“Forgive me for being ignorant of proper prisoner etiquette,” She replied without glancing at him, her eyes soaking in every pillar and ornate window that caught her interest. “I was never raised to be one.” 

For once he believed her without hesitation. Warmth spread across his face at those words.

“And just what exactly were you raised to be? A princess? A queen?”

“Are your princesses trained in the art of mystical warfare?”

Heimdall found himself smiling. Queen Frigga would have a few things to say about that.

“Yes, they are.”

“Then there's your answer I guess. But please no titles! I detest them,” she said all the while marveling at the pristine reflective floors. She used it as the mirror, adjusting her hair quickly as she walked along, her thin fingers running through the locks to soothe them out. A few of the palace guards watched them with a teasing curiosity. 

“If you are a princess then I must address you as such,” Heimdall said, not quite believing her. “And inquire as to where your entourage is.”

“I ran away from them,” she answered with a wink. “As princesses have a tradition of doing.”

“Your name then.”

“Not necessary. There’s too much power to be granted if one gives up their name. Besides, next thing I know you’ll be searching for me again and I’ll never be rid of you.”

“Believe me, I have the entire cosmos laid out before my eyes. I have far more interesting things to gaze upon.”

“You clearly haven’t seen many sorcerers. Our lives are anything but boring,” she replied. “And I don’t wish to have a god peering down on me every second.”

“Are you forbidding me to?” Heimdall asked, his lips curling up, as if anyone could tell him what he could and couldn’t see.

“Yes. Actually I am.”

They looked at each other, and for the first time since meeting, smiled in mutual amusement. Her crystalline eyes caught the warmth of his amber ones, and for a strange moment they were both at ease. She smiled at him and he found himself enjoying how brightly it shined.

Heimdall suddenly couldn’t wait to see if that smile would be just as bright before Odin.

A/N: Projected 2 more chapters. Does a thousand years count as slow burn?


End file.
